Buffalo Bills defensive tackle DeWayne Carter. Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images

Recent Buffalo Bills' third-round pick named trade candidate ahead of cutdown day

Originally posted on Buffalo Bills on SI
By Mike Moraitis | Last updated Aug 21, 2025 5:40 PM ET

The 2025 NFL season is rapidly approaching, but first the Buffalo Bills will play one more preseason game before making their 53-man roster cuts on August 26.

As we saw on Wednesday, when a flurry of trades occurred around the NFL, there could be plenty of action before that date, with teams looking to unload players they would otherwise cut for nothing.

Eric Edholm of NFL Media named a bunch of players who could get dealt before cutdown day and he pegged Bills' 2024 third-round pick and defensive lineman DeWayne Carter as one of them.

Here's what he had to say about that:

"A 2024 third-round pick, Carter found himself playing far deeper into the last preseason game against the Bears than either of the Bills' two rookie defensive tackles, T.J. Sanders or Deone Walker," Edholm wrote. "That might be an indication of a lower spot on Buffalo's depth chart for Carter, even with Larry Ogunjobi (who doesn't appear guaranteed to make this team, for what it's worth) set to miss the first six weeks of the season with a suspension. If the Bills could get something in return for Carter, perhaps from a DL-needy team such as the 49ers, they might be willing to loosen up the logjam at the position a bit."

While Carter's first season in the NFL was a disappointment, Edholm just laid out exactly why the Bills shouldn't trade him.

As Edholm notes, not only is Ogunjobi suspended, he's also not certain to make the 53-man roster. Trading Carter would mean Buffalo is putting its eggs in the baskets of two rookies to play significant snaps, which isn't ideal.

Granted, Carter is no sure thing himself, but he does offer at least some experience and there's reason to believe better days are ahead for him, as he's still just 24 years old.

Would we say it's completely out of the question for the Bills to trade Carter? No, but it wouldn't make much sense to give up on yet, especially with the situation upfront being what it is.